Smell
You can smell more from your whiskey than you'll ever be able to taste. Along these lines, master blenders work primarily by nosing, not tasting. So smell your whiskey before you taste it. Gently raise the whiskey to your nose until you begin to capture the aroma. A good smell is often a good indicator of taste.
Taste
Now taste your whiskey. Make sure you coat your entire tongue and let it linger a little while before swallowing.
Is it thick on your palate or thin?
What flavors do you taste?
Does the whiskey taste the same way it smells?
Do the flavors evolve on the palate or just stay the same?
After you swallow, does the flavor fade away quickly or does it linger on the palate?
Most importantly, did you like it?
Now add an ice cube. Nose and taste again. This will lower the alcohol level and bring out more of the whiskey's aroma.
-excerpted from Whiskey Advocate's ABC's of Whiskey
You can smell more from your whiskey than you'll ever be able to taste. Along these lines, master blenders work primarily by nosing, not tasting. So smell your whiskey before you taste it. Gently raise the whiskey to your nose until you begin to capture the aroma. A good smell is often a good indicator of taste.
Taste
Now taste your whiskey. Make sure you coat your entire tongue and let it linger a little while before swallowing.
Is it thick on your palate or thin?
What flavors do you taste?
Does the whiskey taste the same way it smells?
Do the flavors evolve on the palate or just stay the same?
After you swallow, does the flavor fade away quickly or does it linger on the palate?
Most importantly, did you like it?
Now add an ice cube. Nose and taste again. This will lower the alcohol level and bring out more of the whiskey's aroma.
-excerpted from Whiskey Advocate's ABC's of Whiskey
